New law provides eligible Veterans and Primary Family Caregivers with access to DoD and Coast Guard commissaries, exchanges, and morale, welfare, and recreation retail services.
According to the Department of Defense, starting Jan. 1, 2020, all service-connected Veterans, Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war (POW), and individuals approved and designated as the primary family caregivers of eligible Veterans under the Department of Veterans Affairs Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) can use commissaries, exchanges, and morale, welfare and recreation (MWR) retail facilities, in-person and online.
For more information regarding these privileges and access to military installations, visit http://www.militaryonesource.mil/expanding-access
Who is eligible Jan. 1, 2020?
Veterans
Purple Heart recipients
former prisoners of war
Veterans with 0-90% service-connected disability ratings
(For former service members who have not yet sought disability compensation from VA, visit https://www.va.gov/disability/eligibility/)
Medal of Honor recipients and Veterans with 100% service-connected disability ratings are already eligible under existing DOD policy.
Caregivers
On Jan. 1, individuals approved and designated as the primary family caregiver of an eligible veteran under the PCAFC will be eligible for these privileges.
For information about primary family caregivers in the PCAFC, visit https://www.caregiver.va.gov/.
Required credentials.
Veterans
On Jan. 1, Veterans eligible solely under this act who are eligible to obtain a Veteran Health Identification Card must use this credential for in-person installation and privilege access. The card must display the Veteran’s eligibility status (i.e., PURPLE HEART, FORMER POW or SERVICE CONNECTED). Apply here: https://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/vhic/index.asp.
Veterans eligible solely under this act who are not enrolled in or are not eligible to enroll in VA health care, or who are enrolled in VA health care, but do not possess a Veteran Health Identification Card will not have access to DoD and Coast Guard installations for in-person commissary, exchange, and MWR retail privileges, but will have full access to online exchanges and American Forces Travel.
Medal of Honor recipients and Veterans with 100% service-connected disability ratings are eligible for DoD credentials under DoD policy.
Caregivers
Eligible caregivers will receive an eligibility letter from VA’s Office of Community Care.
If you are a primary family caregiver under the PCAFC and lose your eligibility letter, please call 1-877-733-7927 to request a replacement. Please allow two weeks for processing.
DoD answers top 10 questions on expanded commissary, exchange, MWR access